


A New Year in Two Parts

by friedhotsauce



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Feels, Gen, Mild Language, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-26
Packaged: 2017-12-27 09:58:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/friedhotsauce/pseuds/friedhotsauce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What started as a quiet New Year's get together, ended up as a night Frodo would never forget.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A New Year  
Part I:

It was only less than an hour until midnight on New Year’s Eve. A few Baggins’, Brandybucks’ and Tooks’ were having a quiet get together in Bilbo’s home. Amongst the adults, teenaged Pippin, Merry and thirteen-year-old Frodo sat around tiredly in the den. Things were starting to wind down, and Bilbo announced to the three youngsters that he and the elder hobbits would be heading to bed, and suggested that they do the same.  
“Uncle, we really want to stay up until midnight. I think I could do it this time!” Frodo pleaded.  
Sighing, Bilbo agreed to the request. “Alright. But don’t make too much noise.”  
Merry and Pippin smiled in thanks, while Frodo cheered quietly as his uncle left the den.

“What should we do now?” the youngest hobbit quipped.  
“Whatever, it doesn’t matter.” Merry yawned.  
“How about we watch a moving picture?”  
Merry and Pippin approached the projector to get it going, and Frodo browsed the collection of pictures on a shelf.  
“Let’s watch ‘A Dandelion in the Breeze’.”  
“Why is it that every time we come over, we have to watch that wreck?” Merry whined.  
“Yeah, come on Frodo, your thirteen now. Let’s watch something that suites your age.” Pippin suggested. “I know! How about ‘The Lone Warg’?”  
Frodo made an uneasy face. “I dunno Pippin, that picture is supposed to be really freaky.”  
“Yeah I know. But come on, it’s New Year’s Eve! The adults are asleep, we should take our advantage.”  
“Aw fine, I’ll watch it. But if a warg attacks the Shire, you two are screwed!”  
“Well would ya look at that, little Frodo is throwing his vocabulary to the wind already!” the cousins laughed.  
“Just start the picture already!”

Before putting the reel into the projector, Merry gave Pippin a mischievous look, and nodded his head towards his vest pocket. “Frodo.” Merry called. “We can’t watch a picture without snacks, now can we?”  
“Sure, I suppose.”  
The three hobbits then ventured into the kitchen. Pippin went through the pantry and brought out a dusty looking box of brownie mix. “Oi, Frodo and Merry. How do brownies sound?”  
“Perfect.”  
“Okay, I guess.”  
The cousins went about, gathering the equipment and ingredients. They quickly combined the edibles together, but still needed to add the sugar. Giggling as if he was high, Merry produced a small pouch from his pocket and poured a pile of small green clusters into the batter.  
“What’s that?”  
“Sugar, dear Frodo.” Pippin replied, matter-of-factly.  
“Oh, so that’s what it is. Sometimes Bilbo comes home from his morning walks in the forest, with a whole bagful of it. But he won’t let me have any.”  
The older hobbits almost choked on their repressed laughter, caused by Frodo’s naivety. “No matter, you can still have the brownies.”  
As the dessert baked, Merry and Pippin rushed around the kitchen and den, opening windows to release any unwanted smells. And before they knew it, the batch was done and they were back in the den, watching ‘The Lone Warg.’ It also wasn’t long until Frodo started to feel a pleasant buzz in his head, and a lazy smile graced his face. He grabbed another brownie from the platter, but before taking a bite, he looked down at the morsel suspiciously.

“Merry, my brownie has legs!”  
The Merry and Pippin turned around abruptly. “Frodo stop fooling around, you’re going to get us in trouble. Your brownie is fine.”  
But the reassurance never reached his ear. He quickly became disoriented and jumped up from his seat on the ground, also dropping the brownie. “Look at it! It’s crawling all over the floor!”  
Merry and Pippin peered down at the ever-still dessert. “This kid needs some fresh air.”  
And with that, the cousins swiftly approached the big round door. They opened it to see, none other than Samwise Gamgee standing on the other side. “Happy New Year!” He cheered.


	2. Chapter 2

A New Year  
Part II:

“For fuck’s sake Sam, get out of the way!” Merry nearly screamed, but remembered the sleeping adults. They ushered him down the outside steps, along with Frodo.  
“What on earth is going on?” Sam exclaimed, quite flustered as the ruckus died down.  
“Sam? Is that you Sam?” Frodo asked with a shaky voice, poking his friend’s pudgy face. “Oh no wait, it’s last Solstice’s ham. I knew it would come back to haunt me!”  
Sam turned beet red. “Frodo Baggins what has gotten into you?”  
“It was all our doing,” Merry admitted. “I think we added a bit more weed than what was intended. And now the poor fella is hallucinating!”  
“I can’t believe you two! Leave it to a Brandybuck and a Took to shit all over the formality of New Years!”  
“You guys!” Pippin shouted. “Where’s Frodo?”  
The arguing hobbits silenced immediately and turned round and round to spot him out, but he was nowhere to be found. Fear and nervousness started to worm into their minds. The group rushed along the neighbourhoods and fields, shouting for the little Baggins. They paused for a moment, all out of breath, and looked up to find him at the docks of the Brandywine River.

They approached him carefully, as the young hobbit seemed to be whispering to himself (probably still delusional from the drugs). But no, it was not a mindless ramble, but rather a song, a lullaby.  
“Lay your head next to mine for I shall keep you safe and warm  
The rains won’t hurt you and the river is at bay whenever I am beside you  
The world is big and you are still small but don’t worry sweet dear I am beside you  
One day not soon you’ll be off on your way but don’t worry I will be beside you  
Don’t worry I am beside you.”  
Frodo refused to turn and face his cousins and friend. Their faces were somber, but his was wet. He flicked the tears away, a little embarrassed. “It’s 2981 now.” Frodo tried to chuckle. “It’s almost been a whole year.”  
The foursome looked down at the dark, calm river. Somewhere down their laid the bodies of his parents: Primula Brandybuck and Drogo Baggins. It would be a full year since their unfortunate drowning come spring time, but to the little hobbit, it had already been an eternity. No one had dared to go back into the river for their bodies, as the water was immediately deemed to be cursed. A couple of days after their passing, the hobbits of the Shire tossed meager flowers into the Brandywine. A proper burial was out of the question.

Merry couldn’t take any more of the melancholy atmosphere. He whispered into Pippin’s ear, who enthusiastically whispered into Sam’s, who made a frightened face and whispered back angrily.  
“Come on Sam, this is for Frodo.” Merry convinced. Sam peered over at the solemn hobbit, and reluctantly agreed to the cousins’ request.  
“Hey Frodo,” Sam said, patting his friend’s shoulder. “When your parents passed, everyone tossed flowers into the river for them, but not the proper ones. Why don’t we gather up some chrysanthemums? You go to the field over there and Merry, Pippin and I will look around here for them.”  
“Sure,” Frodo sighed, not even slightly questioning the odd command. Sam waited until his friend was well out of earshot and ran back to the other hobbits.  
“Alright, let’s do this.” Merry announced. The group threw off their outer layers of scarves and sweaters. The night time sky reflected its darkness on to the Brandywine, and with a deep breath the lot jumped in to the frigid waters, aiming for the very depths. Their hands (acting as eyes) scrambled over sand and stone. As he was swimming towards the surface for another breath, Sam felt the smooth consistency of skin on his fingertips.  
“Merry, Pippin!” He shouted upon returning to the surface. The other hobbits came up along with him.  
“Did I touch any of you in the water?”  
“If you had, I didn’t feel anything.” Merry replied.  
“Neither did I,” Pippin confirmed.  
“Then I’ve found them,” Sam announced triumphantly. “Pippin, go swim over to the western shore. Merry and I will haul the bodies over to you.”  
If they had had enough time, the cousins would’ve stayed still in shock at Sam’s pure determinedness, but there was no time to lose. The pair dove back under, and Pippin swam to the shore.  
“Come on, come on,” he whispered shivering on the beach. Sam and Merry seemed to be underwater longer than what was expected. Finally they gasped back up to the surface, a body each in tow. Pippin ran towards the shore line and helped them with the grey and moulting bodies of Primula Brandybuck and Drogo Baggins.  
Frodo trudged over to the docks, flowers in hand but his fellow hobbits were nowhere in sight. He craned his neck to search the opposite shores and saw their figures, along with two extra ones. Confused, Frodo strode around the small beach to meet them. He stopped dead in his tracks and dropped the bouquet of chrysanthemums in realization. His friend and cousins were hauling his parents’ bodies into shallow sandy holes.  
“What…..what’s going on?”  
Sam, Merry, and Pippin paused in their actions and gathered together. “Giving a respectable farewell.”  
Frodo walked passed them and gaped numbly at the graves. Automatically he retrieved the flowers from where they were dropped and divided them between the holes. The other three let him have his moment and stood at a respectable distance.  
“Lay your head next to mine for I shall keep you safe and warm  
The rains won’t hurt you and the river is at bay whenever I am beside you  
The world is big and you are still small but don’t worry sweet dear I am beside you  
One day not soon you’ll be off on your way but don’t worry I will be beside you  
Don’t worry I am beside you.”  
Frodo concluded the song with a sad sigh. He bent over and kissed his mum’s and dad’s decaying foreheads then announced, “I’m done.”  
The other three took it as a signal and grouped together again to fill the tombs with sand until they were fully buried. With a final look back Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin made their ways back home as morning dawned over the land. “This is the best New Years I think I will ever have. Ever.”


End file.
